Category Archives: Uncategorized

According to Zillow.com, the median house price in Portland, Oregon is $406,200. Home values rose 12.9% over the past year! Imagine buying your very first home a year ago for $300,000. While you’ve enjoyed all of the personal rewards that … Continue reading →

“Every person who invests in well-selected real estate in a growing section of a prosperous community adopts the surest and safest method of becoming independent, for real estate is the basis of wealth.” – Theodore Roosevelt Real estate appreciation has … Continue reading →

Once you have determined how much is available to you for borrowing on a mortgage (The Third Step in Borrowing Smart), the more critical step is now figuring out how much SHOULD you borrow. The fourth step to borrowing SMART is: … Continue reading →

I always explain to new clients that there are two conversations we must have: What CAN you do? Then, what SHOULD you do? In this third step, this means first discussing what you CAN borrow. Or put another way, finding … Continue reading →

Once you are clear on the First step to making SMART borrowing decisions when it comes to financing your home, it is time to learn the second step: PAYMENT. Put as a financial planning question, it means “How do I repay my … Continue reading →

For nearly two decades now, I have seen too many homeowners paying extra toward their mortgage without first having sufficient cash in the bank to weather unforeseen financial problems or while carrying other high-interest consumer debt. The hard truth for … Continue reading →

It’s that time. June… a lot of folks are getting ready to send their high school graduates off to college. If you plan to pay for your child’s college education, how can you possibly save for retirement and your child’s college … Continue reading →

“Every person who invests in well-selected real estate in a growing section of a prosperous community adopts the surest and safest method of becoming independent, for real estate is the basis of wealth.” – Theodore Roosevelt Real estate appreciation has … Continue reading →

If I was gone tomorrow, would my clients remember me? Would they really care? Or would they simply move on to another mortgage lender and take with them the perception that it will be the same? Or, would they attend … Continue reading →

A while back I flew to Dallas to spend some time with my mentor and a few colleagues around the country talking about business, money, and life. One of the most powerful thinking exercises I took from our discussions … Continue reading →